AirTalk Oct. 9, 2026

Today's show: AirTalk Friday host Austin Cross discusses views on the death penalty, why adults are playing with toys, Dave Beran on Michelin star restaurant, FilmWeek and looking back at the "Frat Pack" comedies of the early 2000s. Cross is also LAist's local Morning Edition host.

Has your view on the death penalty shifted over the years?

The firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, the Pentagon said Thursday, a stunning revelation about plans for the first military execution in more than 65 years after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had described it as being “public.” Meanwhile, here in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled he’s considering sparing the lives of the over 500 people on California’s death row as one of his final acts in office. We talk about how views surrounding the death penalty have changed.

Guest:

• Maurice Chammah, staff writer for the Marshall Project and author of Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty

Adults are buying more toys than ever and not for their kids

The numbers are in, and toys are now for adults. Research group Circana found that in the first half of the year, adult-only households made up 55% of toy sales. So what’s going on here, and why are adults flocking to the toy aisle?

Guest:

• James Zahn, editor-in-chief of the trade magazines The Toy Book and The Licensing Book

James Beard award-winning chef Dave Beran on restaurant Seline

Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation awarded local chef Dave Beran the honor of California’s Best Chef for his work at Seline, a fine-dining restaurant he owns in Santa Monica. Beran shares his experience as chef-owner for Seline and Pasjoli, and we try some of his dishes.

Guest:

• Dave Beran, James Beard-winning chef and owner of Seline, a fine-dining restaurant in Santa Monica; he also owns the Santa Monica French bistro, Pasjoli

FilmWeek: ‘The Social Reckoning,’ ‘Musk,’ Tenzing’ and more!

FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they’ll review this year’s Palm d’Or winner at Cannes, Fjord, about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of child abuse.

The films:  

• The Social Reckoning, Wide Release
• Musk, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City | Expanding on Oct. 16
• Fjord, AMC Century City & AMC Burbank
• Tenzing, Laemmle NoHo & The Cinemas LA [Westwood]|Streaming on Apple TV+ Oct. 16
• Misty Green, AMC Century City, AMC The Grove, & AMC Burbank
• Kikuyu Land, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]
• NAZA, In Select Theaters
• Animals, Landmark Westwood |Streaming on Netflix
• The North, Laemmle Glendale, Laemmle Monica Center [Santa Monica], & AMC Burbank
• The Beast, In Select Theaters

Guests:

• Claudia Puig, film critic for LAist and program director for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
• Katie Walsh, film critic for LAist, the Tribune News Service and L.A. Times

The ‘Frat Pack’ comedies of the early 2000s

In his new book, Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever, film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the “Frat Pack” that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.

Guest:

• Matt Singer, editor and film critic of ScreenCrush.com. He is the author of Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever